I put together some of my absolute favorites that would be fun to share with your bestie! I have picked up a few of these for myself!!
Back in the spring I went to the Philly and NYC Auto Show with my boyfriend, and fell in LOVE with the Jeep Renegade. I was not in the market for a car, but have always loved the Jeep brand, specifically the Wrangler. Perhaps it is all because of that country music I like? I grew up loving trucks as well, but after sitting in a bunch I decided they were all too big. The Jeep Renegade was perfect – exactly my size and had everything I wanted inside.
Since I got a new job in August, I decided I needed a car better for travel because I drive all over the state on a weekly basis. My Mazda was cute and fun, but wasn’t great for driving long distances. I began looking at the Renegade (Note: I test drove it 3-4 times before I actually bought it) and we began checking out other similar cars since the Renegade is so new. I drove some Mazdas, a Honda, a Toyota and even got fancy and drove a used Mercedes. None of the SUVS fit my needs like this one.
I know most people are turned off because it is boxy. Personally, I like the style and think it fits so well in the Jeep family. In addition to the tons of space inside, it has fun accents hidden throughout the car – little Jeep symbols! I like character, and this car has plenty of it! Plus it rides really well (not as hard as some of the other Jeeps) and makes me feel safe on the road. A fun fact: Jeep calls this car the “little sister” to the Wrangler!
The Renegade just launched this spring, so finding the one I wanted was SO hard. I wanted to make sure mine had a sun roof, and the design of the Renegade’s is so new that very few were arriving with one. Luckily, I searched all over online, and found one en route to my local dealer. #score
I was nervous to get rid of my small car, but am in LOVE with this one. Anyone else a proud Jeep owner?!
All photos courtesy of my boyfriend and his website Mindovermotor.com.
It is hard to believe my last post was back in July. Since then my life has changed drastically in many unexpected ways.
In August my grandmother passed away – and it was, and is a devastating loss. She lived with my family for 21 years, and it was like I had a third parent. Not having her around is tough, and largely the reason I got away from blogging. I hadn’t experienced a loss of that magnitude, and nothing quite seems the same without her here. Celebrating my birthday in September just wasn’t the same, and I know the holidays will be hard. But I know she would want my family to keep moving on.
Beyond that I’ve been busy with work, out enjoying the fall weather and just keeping myself overall distracted. But the more I watch YouTube videos and read other people’s blogs, I was inspired to recraft my own. In the past I feel like I deviated from my original plan, which was to chronicle my life and things I am passionate about. I’m back to revisit that notion, and to give myself an outlet for some pent up creativity.
Thanks so much for the nomination for the Beautiful Blogger Awards KAYLEIGH19902013 !
The Rules:
•State who nominated you
•Answer questions given
•Tell us 7 random facts
•Nominate 10 beauty or fashion bloggers
•Make up 10 questions for your nominees to answer
•Let the bloggers know you nominated them
Questions:
1. What is your favourite skincare product?
I LOVE the Clarisonic. My old one actually just died and I had to get a new one!
2. Favourite YouTube Channel?
I absolutely adore Kristina over at PrettyShinySparkly!
3. Favourite Sweet?
I could eat vanilla tootsie rolls or salt water taffy all day long.
4. Dream Holiday Destination?
I would love the opportunity to go to Greece.
5. Your Hobby?
My boyfriend and I go wine tasting at least once a month!
6. Favourite piece of makeup?
Lately I’m loving my Clinique CC Cream
7. Give me a Beauty tip
I keep as many products as possible in a z-palette to save space
8. Favourite Movie?
Steel Magnolias!
9. Sweet or Savoury?
SWEET! 🙂
10. Dream dinner party guests?
Cher, Dolly Parton, The Rock, Aziz Ansari, Joe Maganiello and Reese Witherspoon
7 Random Facts:
My 10 Nominees:
Ten Questions for My Nominees:
1. What is your favorite mascara?
2. What YouTube channel do you watch the most?
3. Hobbies outside of blogging?
4. Most popular makeup brand in your collection?
5. How long have you been blogging?
6. What is your skin care routine?
7. What TV show do you like to binge watch?
8. Favorite type of food?
9. What color lipstick/gloss do you wear the most?
10. What advice can you give about blogging?
I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
My parents live part time in South Carolina, and when they built their new house over a year ago they gave me the loft as my bedroom. Due to my work schedule I don’t get to go down there that often. Last summer I picked out furniture and the color scheme (gray and yellow). The skeleton came together over this past year, and on my recent vacation we went shopping to pick out some finishing touches.
The bed and dresser are from a local furniture store in SC, and I fell in love with the mirrored style right away. All of the pillows and the comforter are from Home Goods, as are both of the night stands.
The nightstand on the right I picked up first, and it had awful drawer pulls. I instead found some on sale at Anthropology, and the piece now matches the decor much better!
I still needed another night stand, and when I went back a year later I found many more mirrored options. This one was perfect:
Last year when I was shopping I also found this gray chair at Home Goods, along with the lamp and table pictured below. When I went back last week I found that ottoman in Target, and thought it would highlight the yellow on the bed.
The dresser us gorgeous and has large drawers for storing clothes. I found a lamp this trip that matches the lamp I picked up on my last trip. Home Goods also had fun mirrored boxes, and I picked up one for the dresser. The jewelry hanger I found at Target. (Sorry for the yellow quality of the picture!)
I found this gorgeous piece of art at the local Ross – it was apparently hand made in Indonesia, and I can’t wait to have it hung on the wall:
There was one wall that had me stumped. I thought to put a large mirror there, but considering everything else is so heavily mirrored, I instead opted for a desk. I found a white desk at World Market, and it wound up being their last in store. We got it heavily discounted (score!) and picked up one of their dining chairs that had a fun pattern for the room. Click on the words “desk” and “dining chair” for links! The elephant, lamp and flowers are of course, from Home Goods.
I hope you enjoyed my room tour and design thoughts!
This year I wanted to take a really relaxing vacation. My parents have a summer home in Myrtle Beach, SC, and I decided to go down for a week over July 4th weekend. Luckily, my boyfriend was able to come down for a few days while I was there, and we could celebrate the holiday together. We made sure to capture our vacation with lots of photos! If anyone is headed down to MB this summer, I’ve included some places you must go!
Broadway at the Beach! Dress: Francesca’s Collections
One of the best (and most tourist-y) places is Broadway at the Beach. It is a mix of shopping, attractions, restaurants and a lot of walking. I’ve been going down to MB for years, and always make sure to stop here each time I visit. About a year ago Carolina Vineyards opened up a shop there, and we decided to stop in for a wine tasting. It is super affordable, and the wine slushies are a MUST. Later in the weekend we went for a ride on the speed boat there – I was terrified, he loved it.
Myrtle Beach State Park! Bathing Suit: Amazon
On the 4th we made sure to do a beach trip! We had gorgeous weather, and we definitely got a little tan from our time there. Later on that day we played mini golf, and went back to Broadway at the Beach to walk around and watch some fireworks. I made sure to bring red, white and blue clothes just for the occasion!
Back at Broadway for fireworks! Dress: Kohls
I couldn’t have him leave without us doing an all you can eat seafood buffet. We LOVE seafood, and I know that Captain George’s in MB never disappoints. We truly dined #southernstyle.
Dinner at Captain George’s! Top: Express
I couldn’t have asked for a better vacation! Where are you all headed for vacation this summer?
Perfect way to end vacation!
Lately I’ve kept my iPhone apps pretty status quo. I get into a routine and get used to what I have. However, I wanted to share my photo editing and Instagram friendly apps for those of you, who like me, spend forever editing photos before making a post. Click below for links to some of my favorite photo apps! SpacePaint and Picfx I use to add or adjust lighting, aviary helps whiten my photos and make them look crisp, POMELO has some pretty great filters, and Stationery has the cutest way to add text to photos! ENJOY!
Over the past few years I knew that I needed to start living a more healthy life. I wasn’t happy with myself, and needed to figure out a way to start myself on a better path. When I left college I was 10-15 pounds heavier than I ever had been in my entire life. And I had lost weight since my junior year when I was even a little healthier. The truth is that I just didn’t know what to do. Now I see what I was doing wrong, but back then I couldn’t figure it out. I over ate, ate things that made my body run poorly and hated to work out.
Ok, so who really likes to work out? I don’t mind it now, but when I was heavier I would joke that the only way I would run was if someone was chasing me. And even then, I’d say there was a marginal chance that would happen. When I turned 25 last fall I made a promise to myself to make this my best year yet. And so far, so good. Shortly after my birthday I joined a kickboxing gym, and fell in love. It is the hardest thing I’ve done in my life, but I have never felt so good and empowered. I’m so thankful I decided to give it a try because I was terrified I couldn’t keep up when I joined the class. Now I feel like I can take on the world.
Unfortunately with the ups, comes the downs. Last summer I was sick constantly and my stomach hurt terribly. After a few months and some tests I found out that I have gastroparesis. Basically I can’t digest properly and have to take medicine multiple times a day to regulate it. I also need to follow a FODMAP diet (I can do a post on my daily eating soon) and I live as gluten free as possible. No, I don’t have celiac, but I feel so great eating gluten free. And it bothers me deeply when someone dismisses a gluten intolerance. I wish those people could live my life for a bit, and see how hard it can be to eat foods with gluten, and feel like crap. I’ve seen how foods go through my body – and I can feel the aftermath often for a day or two. I’m all for eating clean, but I always indulge! And just to mention it – I’ve been out of college since 2011 and have lost 60 pounds. I’m living proof that hard work and dedication pays off!
Thankfully I have a great support system, and everyone takes care to make sure there is something I can eat when we go out. I hate making a big deal about it, but it adds unnecessary pressure to situations. I’d love to connect with others who know what its like to live this way – because while hard, its been the best life style change I’ve made, and I’d like to hear how others have done it as well. I’m going to post more about my diet, work outs and health in the future. But wanted to get the ball rolling!
The healthiest I’ve ever been!
When I started this blog, I wanted it to capture my journey in 2015, and not be just another “beauty” blog. So I thought a fun post would be to describe fun date ideas that my boyfriend and I have done, as we prepare for the fun outdoor activities we can do this spring!
Since we began dating, one of the first things we tried together was wine tasting. We’ve been probably to about 15 different wineries since – and have many more scheduled! It makes for a fun day in the winter because some have cozy fireplaces and usually its a slow time. But since it has been warmer, we’ve been able to drive around and try a few different ones in one day, and walk around the grounds. It is a perfect year-round idea!
We try to find local activities because we love trying new things. I had always wanted to go to the Philadelphia Flower Show, because I hear it was gorgeous and that it was a total blast. Before we went I had friends that had gone, and posted their photos on Facebook. When I saw that you could feed butterflies, I made sure that was the first stop on our list. Look at the cute pictures!
For Valentine’s Day I gave my boyfriend several Groupon/Living Social cards with dates picked out for us to do as the weather was warmer. Because I’m into art, and used to work in a ceramics studio I thought a fun date would be to paint pottery. We went to our local Color Me Mine, and I painted a flower dish and he painted the stem of a wine glass (they attach the glass for you!). He was SO into it, and it was perfect for a recent rainy/snowy day. It was so exciting to go pick up our treasures, and we can’t wait to go again!
This past weekend we so desperately wanted to be outside, and tried to take a walk along the river last night. It was such a beautiful night, but still a little cold. It was perfect though because it was a fun, relaxing date and sent us in search of hot chocolate!
Back in November I purchased the iPhone 6 Plus. I’m more in love with this phone than I ever thought I could be. The screen is so large (some say too much so) but it is so great for all of my apps, that it has become weird for me to look at other screens.
Since I’m obsessed with my phone, I thought it would be fun to feature two apps each month that I absolutely adore – both old and new – and welcome all types of new suggestions!
This month the two apps I have been into are MyFitnessPal and the Serial podcast.
This year, more than ever I want to not only look good but look healthy in a swimsuit. I’ve struggled with weight issues my whole life, and finally being in control and getting fit is at the top of my priority list. I love that MyFitnessPal lets me track my calories, tracks my exercise AND operates as a pedometer. Now, I’m not too sure how accurate the pedometer really is, but I love seeing how many steps I take each day. It motivates (and reminds) me to get moving, and holds me responsible for what I eat each day. I LOVE it. I’ve heard friends say that it becomes a bit too obsessive sometimes, and I completely agree. But considering I have to track my food now due to some health problems, I need to be careful and meticulous about tracking what I’m eating.
Serial is a podcast that is completely new to me. A friend recommended it knowing I have a long commute, and it is riveting. I never thought I would enjoy listening to a story so much – in this case a crime drama type story- but it makes my walks through the city that much more focused. I’d never tried a podcast before, but I’m excited to keep this going!
What are some of your favorite apps?
GabGoesGlam 